Metro Sports Report

Prairie wrestlers eye 2 trophies at state

Kane Thompson proved you can win two state wrestling titles in one week when he led Alburnett to the state dual meet title and the state individual meet title in 2013 when he was coaching at Alburnett.

"It can be done," Thompson said Monday. "Our community at Alburnett was super-proud of that."

Now he'd like to collect high finishes in both tournaments this week with the Prairie Hawks. He's not predicting state titles, but he does think top-3 finishes in both events - or higher - are possible.

"We have a great opportunity," said Thompson, in his first season at Prairie. "I know the traditional tournament means a lot to the individuals, but I think you can be ready for both."

The Hawks (19-3) will face Johnston (21-2) in the opening round of the state dual meet tournament on Wednesday at 9 a.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. It's a one-day tournament, with the semifinals at 1 p.m. and the finals at 6:30 p.m.

The other first-round matches are Southeast Polk (16-0) against Clinton (16-2), West Des Moines Valley (21-1) against Waverly-Shell Rock (23-4), and Hempstead (27-0) against Indianola (18-2).

Okamoto is big surprise for Coe swimmers

Ayaka Okamoto came to Coe College last summer to learn English and American culture.

By the time she heads back home to Tokyo at the end of the academic year, she’ll have her name prominently listed on the big record-board at the Coe swimming pool on campus.

At the elite Liberal Arts Swimming Championships held the past four days at Principia College in Elsah, Ill., Okamoto finished second in the 100-yard backstroke in record-breaking time. She also swam on several relays that earned medals at the major meet.

No one could be more tickled by the happy happenstance than Okamoto herself or Coach Brian Ruffles.

“I didn’t meet her until the first week of classes in the fall,” says Ruffles. “She’s been a wonderful surprise.”

Kitsos wins Metro Spotlight Award

Stefan Kitsos of Cedar Rapids Kennedy is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school boys this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Kitsos, a senior, turned in an exceptional performance for Kennedy at the state swimming meet in Marshalltown on Saturday and helped the Cougars finish 11th in the team standings.

Kitsos placed second in the 100 breaststroke in 57.50 seconds and finished fourth in the 50 freestyle in 21.22 seconds. In addition, he helped the Cougars place sixth in the 200 medley relay (1:37.08) and place 11th in the 200 freestyle relay (1:27.75).

Laube wins Metro Spotlight Award

Mia Laube of Marion is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Laube, a 5-foot-9 sophomore, is a key member of the Marion High School girls basketball that is ranked No. 7 in Class 4A heading into the postseason regional tournament.

The Indians tied Center Point-Urbana for the West Division title in the Wamac Conference with a 13-1 record this year by splitting the regular-season series between the two schools. The Indians have a 17-4 overall mark and are riding a 10-game winning streak.